VITAMINS

Nutrition Departement
Faculty of Medicine North Sumatera University

History

Purified diets of carbohydrate, protein, fat,

minerals and water were not capable of normal
growth

Accessory growth factors

Casimir Funk, a Polish biochemist, isolated an

antiberiberi substance from rice polishings

Named it vitamine
An amine
Vital for life

Vitamins

Not metabolic fuels (like glucose or fatty

acids) or structural nutrients (like amino
acids)

Regulators (catalysts) of reactions, some of

which are involved in energy metabolism

Classification
Based on solubility in the laboratory, but
solubility greatly influences how the body
absorbs, transports and stores vitamins
Fat-soluble

Vitamins A, D, E and K

Water-soluble

B vitamins and vitamin C

Fat-soluble Vitamins
Absorbed with dietary fat in small intestine
40-90% absorption efficiency
Absorption typically regulated by need
need absorption
Transported away from small intestine in
chylomicra via blood and lymph

Fat-soluble Vitamins

Liver either stores the

vitamin or repackages
it for delivery to other
cells

Excess vitamin
accumulates in liver
and adipose
Toxicities can occur;
almost always
associated with
supplement use (not
foods)

Water-soluble Vitamins
Absorbed at the small intestine
Absorption often highly regulated by either
other vitamins or binding proteins in the small
intestine
Transported away from small intestine in blood
Typically not stored; instead, kidney filters
excess into urine

Thus, more important to get these vitamins daily.

Toxicities almost unheard of

Vitamins in Feeds and Foods

Found in ALL TYPES
of foods; not just fruits
and vegetables.
In general, processing
can decrease amount
of vitamins in food.

The Fat-Soluble
Vitamins
A, D, E and K

Vitamin A: The Retinoids

3 forms of vitamin A
important for health

Retinal
Retinoic acid
Retinol (key player; can
be converted to other
forms)

-carotene (a
carotenoid or pigment)
in yellow/orange foods
is a potent provitamin A

Vitamin A :
Sources

Animal sources

Plant sources

C30H30O

Liver
Milk
Eggs

Carrots
Spinach
broccoli
Dark-green or orange-yellow
colored fruits & vegetables

Vitamin A :
Functions

Vision, especially night

vision
Cell growth (retinoic acid)
Immunity
Reproduction

Carotenoids

Additional physiologic effects

Serving as an antioxidant

Remove excess electrons

from cell system
Electrons (free radicals)
damage cells and DNA
Can cause mutations

Protecting from cancer (related

to antioxidant function?)
Protecting from heart disease?

Vitamin A :
Requirements
To account for metabolic differences between
vit A and its carotenoid precursors
equivalents of 1 g retinol (RAE = retinol
activity equivalent)
12 g carotene and 24 g carotene = 1
RAE
900 RAE
700 RAE (higher during lactation)

Vitamin A :
Deficiency

Main symptoms

Night blindness
Hyperkeratosis
Impaired immune
function

Rare in industrialized
world
Leading cause of
blindness in areas of
poverty

Vitamin A :
Excessive intake
Retinol intake > 1000 g/d bone fx risk
Retinol intake 3000 g/d during early pregnancy
risk of birth defect
15000 g/d itching, scaling of skin, malaise,
loss of appetite, ICP ( nausea, vomiting,
headaches, seizures, coma and death)
Hypervitaminosis A in humans

Polar explorers eating polar bear or seal liver

Self-medication and overprescription

Vitamin D

Not always essential

Form of vit D in foods :

Body can make it if exposed to enough sunlight!

Made from cholesterol in the skin!
Vit D3 (most common)
Vit D2 (less common)

Functions

Promotes intestinal absorption of Ca and its

retention in the body
Influences growth of bone & conn tissues

Vitamin D :
Requirements

Adults : at least 5 g/day, 3 times as much

with advanced age

Vitamin D :
Sources

Fluid milk products are

fortified with vitamins D
Oily fish
Egg yolk
Butter
Liver
Difficult for vegetarians
A young person gets a full
days supplies from 10 15
exposure to summer sun
(UV-B, 290-315 nm), older
person needs several times
longer

Vitamin D:
Deficiency

Children

Rickets

Failure of bones to grow

properly.
Characterized by bone
deformities in lower
limbs (bowlegs) & chest.

Adults

Osteoporosis (porous
bones)

Associated with
fracturesvery serious
for the elderly

Vitamin D :
Excessive intake
Prolonged consumption of several hundred
g /day hypercalcemia & soft tissue
calcification
Thousands g/day coma & death in
extreme cases

Vitamin E

Functions

Antioxidant (inactivates
oxygen free radicals in
membranes,
lipoproteins, etc)

Protects cell membranes

from free radicals
Protects lungs from
pollutants
Others?

Vitamin E :
Requirements
Adults : at least 15 mg/d
Pregnancy, breast feeding & high intake of
PUFA slightly increase need

Vitamin E :
Sources

Plant sources

Wheat germ
Sunflower oils
Nuts

Little in animal sources

Beef fed high levels of

vitamin E right before
slaughter so now a
source

Improves shelf life

Vitamin E :
Deficiency
Very rare, except in people who have
difficulty absorbing fat
Limited evidence that inadequate intakes
atherosclerosis, Parkinsons & Alzheimers
disease, cancer, cataract, impair immune
function

Vitamin E :
Excessive intake
High doses (> 1000 mg of any supplement
form) can interfere with blood clotting
risk of hemorrhagic stroke
This adds to anticlotting effects of coumadins
and salicylates

Vitamin K

Functions

Blood clotting
Promoting mineralization
of bone
Regulation cell division &
differentiation

Vitamin K :
Requirements
Newborn infants should get at least one
supplemental dose to prevent cerebral
hemorrhage
Adequate daily intakes :
90 g/day
120 g/day

Vitamin K :
Sources

Bacteria in the large

intestine (10-15%) or
rumen
Plant sources

Green leafy vegetables

Some oils
Broccoli

Animal sources

Milk

Vitamin K :
Deficiency
Very rare, except in people who have
difficulty absorbing fat (e.g., cystic fibrosis,
Crohns disease) or using lots of antibiotics
(they kill the bacteria in large intestine)
Symptom: bleeding

The Water-Soluble
Vitamins
B and C

Water-soluble Vitamins
Vitamin
B complex
B1
B2
B3
B6

B12
C

Chemical name

Thiamin
Riboflavin
Nicotinamide (niacin)
Pyridoxine
Pantothenic acid
Biotin
Folacin (folic acid)
Choline
Cyanocobalamin
Ascorbic acid

Water-soluble vitamins
Vitamin C
(ascorbic acid)

Energy releasing

Thiamin (B1)
Riboflavin (B2)
Niacin (B3)
Panthothenic acid
Biotin
Vitamin B6

B-complex vitamins

Hematopoietic

Other

Folic acid
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B6
Pathothenic acid

Vitamin B6
Thiamin (B1)
Folic acid
Vitamin B12
Niacin (B3)

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)

There is present in rice polishings a substance

different from protein and salts, which is
indispensable to health & the lack of which
causes nutritional polyneuritis (C. Eijkman)

Function :
- essential cofactor of five enzymes involved
in carbohydrate, amino acid, intermediary
(TCA cycle), and phytol metabolism
- important for brain function

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) :
Req : 0,4 / 1000 kal
1.2 mg/d
1.2 mg/d
Food sources : the germinating parts of
cereals & other plants, yeast, milk, eggs, liver
Thiamin antagonist :
- thiamin-degrading enzymes (thiaminases)
(in raw fish & shellfish)
- sulfites added in processing

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) :

Effect of cooking :
- soluble in water some loss occurs
when cooking in water
- destroyed by alkalis
- destroyed by very high temperature

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Sources : most valuable is milk (500 ml RDA)
egg yolk, liver, kidney, heart
Is a permitted coloring (yellow) agent for foods but
because its light sensitivity used infreq
Effect of cooking : not affected greatly by cooking,
drying, canning or freezing

Precursor of flavin mononucleotides (FMN) & flavinadenine dinucleotide (FAD) essential for several
enzymes
Effect of deficiency :
- inflammation of the lips & tongue
- a waxy skin eruption around the nose & lips
- cracks at the corners of the mouth
- the cornea is infiltrated by small blood vessels
- the eyes are painful & sensitive to light

Vitamin B3 (niacin)
Can be obtained from diet or can be
synthesized in the body from the essential
amino acid tryptophan
Is a component of coenz NAD & NADP
involved in the oxidative release of energy
2 related compounds :
- nicotinamide
- nicotinic acid

Vitamin B3 (niacin)
Sources : wholegrain cereals & wholemeal
bread, meat, liver, kidney, fish
progressively removed during milling
60 mg tryptophan ~ 1 mg nicotinic acid
RNI : 6.6 mg / 1000 kcal

Vitamin B3 (niacin)
Deficiency : pellagra 3Ds
(dermatitis, diarrhoea & dementia)
Epidemics on a diet based upon maize
High doses reduce high plasma
cholesterol flushing, itching, nausea &
vomiting

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
3 biologically active substances found in food :
pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine
As cofactor for a large number of enzyme which
catalyse amino acid reaction very important
for protein metabolism
Liver, eggs, meat, fish, green leafy vegetables,
fruits
Over deficiency is rare

Vitamin B5 (Panthothenic acid)

Coenzyme in the formation of Coenzyme A
Involved in fat, cholesterol and heme formation
and amino acid activation
AI for man and women : 5 mg/day
Dietary sources

Found in whole grain cereals and legumes

Widely found in animal tissue
Losses with heat and acid conditions

Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin)

Necessary for normal protein metabolism & for
production of the myelin sheath around nerves
Sources : meat (best), cheese, eggs & milk
Not found in vegetables
Deficiency usually from lack of the intrinsic factor
Symptom of deficiency : megaloblastic anemia &
neurological symptom

Folic acid
Not stable loss during cooking
Requirement during pregnancy
Body does not have large stores deficiency
can develop quickly

Folate-rich Foods

Orange juice, oranges

Liver
Avocado
Dried beans and peas; lentils
Dark green leafy vegetables
Broccoli
Asparagus

Biotin
Coenzyme in metabolism for release energy
(function in TCA cycle)
Involved in gluconeogenesis (synthesis of fatty
acids, amino acids and purines)
Dietary sources :

Found in liver, kidney, meat, tomatoes and egg yolk

Avidin in raw egg whites binds biotin and prevents it
from being absorbed
Losses with heat

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)

Perform an antioxidant function

Wound healing
A structural component involved in collagen
formation
Important in the synthesis of :

neurotransmitter (conversion tryptophan to serotonin

and norephinehrine)
hormones (thyroxine)
Bile acids
Metabolism of amino acids
Breakdown of fatty acid

Dietary sources
Citrus fruits and green vegetables
Potatoes
Losses with heating, contact with cooking
surfaces containing iron or copper,
presence of air and alkaline solutions

Recommendations in the diet

RDA for male : 90 mg/day
RDA for female : 75 mg/day
Increased needs in pregnancy and lactation
women, smokers and in metabolic conditions in
response to oxidative stress

Deficiency and excess states

Deficiency

Scurvy
Bleeding gums

Excess

GI distress
Hot flashes
Rashes
Headache